FREEPORT — Tony and Laura Invergo hope their upcoming trip to Israel will not only enrich their lives but also the lives of those they wish to help during their visit.

“In Israel, 65 percent of the government budget is for defense,” Tony said. “There is little money for the poor.”

The pair, along with another couple and other international travelers, will spend more than two weeks in Israel with an organization called Bridges for Peace, a Christian group that works in Israel to build a relationship between Christians and Jews.

“The organization has helped 43,000 Jewish people return to Israel to live,” said Laura, who has been to Israel once before, in 1986. “Two weeks after I left I was ready to go back. It’s fascinating. You can walk down the street and hear 20 different languages. It’s amazing to see it.”

The group will spend half of its time aiding Jews who have recently immigrated to Israel with humanitarian efforts and the other half doing mission work. When asked if they were concerned about their safety because of recent conflicts with Syria, both said they felt relatively safe.

They believe that only divine intervention will inevitably make peace in the region but think that leaders should “make every effort to keep trying.”

The Invergos spent six years in England previously working for a ministry there. They said that the historical aspect of Jerusalem, where they will be spending the majority of their trip, is “hard to imagine.”

“That kind of thing blows you away,” Tony said. “To see things that go back four or five thousand years, I’m going to love it. You just can’t comprehend it. To see actual places we’ve been reading about is mind boggling. The majority of major events in the Bible took place there.”

They will return from their trip June 5 and encourage any local groups that are interested in learning about it to contact Eastgate Christian Center in Freeport.